Batting

FAIRFIELD, Conn – In a rare mid-week doubleheader, the Sacred Heart baseball team dropped two games to the Fairfield Stags Tuesday afternoon at Alumni Diamond. The Pioneers scored just one run in two games, falling 2-1 and then 5-0. The Pioneers are now an even 20-20 on the season.

Fairfield scored the first run of the game in the third inning, with a two-out walk being the catalyst. After Ryan Plourde initated the free pass, back-to-back hits from Brendan Tracy and Jake Salpietro put the Stags ahead 1-0.

Jayson Sullivan (Charlton, NY) pulled the Pioneers even in the sixth inning, smacking his third home run of the season to tie the game at one.

Fairfield came right back to take the lead in the bottom half of the sixth. After a lead-off hit by Tracy, SHU right-hander Jesus Medina (New York, NY) forced Jack Giannini to ground out, before walking designated hitter Sebastian Salvo to put two on, with one out. Following a strikeout to get the second out of the inning, Medina hit Alex Witkus and then walked Dean Sadik to bring home the game-winning run.

Keaton Flint (Charlton, NY) hit a lead-off double in the top of the seventh, but two pop-ups and a fly out ended the game for the Pioneers.

In game two, the Stags rode a scoreless performance from three pitchers to a 5-0 win. Starting pitcher Tucker Panciera earned the win with four scoreless innings of work.

Fairfield jumped out to the early lead in the first inning. After Plourde forced a two-out walk, back-to-back singles and a SHU throwing error allowed FU to take a 2-0 lead.

The Stags added on in the fifth, started by a passed ball on a lead-off strikeout to allow Dan Hopkins to reach. Following a sacrifice bunt, Michael Conti knocked Hopkins in with a base hit and FU was up 3-0. A Sadik strikeout gave SHU two outs, but then a Rob LoPinto double to left field scored Conti and put FU up 4-0.

Fairfield put one more on the board in the sixth and finished off a three-game season sweep of the Pioneers.

The Pioneers will be in action next this weekend as they head to Smithfield, Rhode Island for a key four-game series against the first place, Bryant Bulldogs.